A court in Equatorial Guinea has convicted Ruslan Obiang Nsue, one of the sons of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, for illegally selling an aircraft belonging to the state-owned airline, Ceiba Intercontinental.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, sentenced Obiang Nsue to six years in prison unless he reimburses the government for the missing ATR 72-500 aircraft, court spokesperson Hilario Mitogo confirmed in a message to reporters.
The 50-year-old, who previously served as the airline’s director, was found guilty of selling the plane to a Spanish company and diverting the proceeds for personal gain. The court, however, acquitted him of related charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.
Under the judgment, Obiang Nsue can avoid jail if he pays approximately $255,000 to Ceiba Intercontinental, in addition to damages and a fine to the state.
Obiang Nsue was placed under house arrest in 2023 by order of his half-brother, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who also serves as deputy to their father. The vice-president has himself faced international scrutiny, after a French court in 2021 convicted him of embezzlement, handing down a suspended jail term and a $35 million fine.
Ruslan Obiang Nsue, who has also served as secretary of state for sports and youth, is the latest member of the ruling family to face corruption allegations in the oil-rich Central African nation, which President Obiang, 83, has ruled for more than four decades.
